Horden drugs gang jailed for gun feud and ram-raids

A drugs gang involved in a violent feud which saw buildings rammed and a drive-by shooting have been jailed.

James Stephenson and six associates were involved in what police called a "weekend of destruction" in Hartlepool and Horden in January.

The battle began when a house with a woman and four children inside was repeatedly rammed and a car set alight.

The men admitted multiple charges and were jailed for between five and almost 20 years at Durham Crown Court.

Durham Police said they believed the "bitter feud" was over drugs territory and escalated into a "weekend of violence and destruction" beginning on 7 January when Stephenson and five others targeted a house in Hartlepool.

It was the home of the partner of one of Stephenson's alleged rivals and, at the time of the attack, a woman and four children aged between four months and five years old were inside, prosecutor Susan Hirst told the court.

At about 19:00 GMT, several men set about a car on the drive with baseball bats before setting it alight.

The gang also reversed a Mitsubishi Shogun into the living room wall four times, causing "serious damage" and leaving the family exposed to the fire outside.

The Shogun was later found abandoned and burnt out.

Police later found two other cars used in the attack, inside which they found baseball bats and accelerants which detectives linked via DNA to several of the gang.

The following day a gang, none of whom have yet been charged, attempted to raid a house connected to Stephenson's co-defendant and accomplice Graeme Oliver in South Crescent, Horden, at about 16:40 GMT.

Ms Hirst said police were called and Oliver told officers the men were armed with weapons including "guns, acid and knives".

Three hours later, a stolen Ford Transit van smashed into Amara's Golden Glow tanning salon and It's All About The Magic vape shop, both owned by Stephenson, on Horden's Fifth Street.

While the businesses were being repeatedly ram-raided, Stephenson and three of his gang piled into a second Shogun on nearby Seventh Street and raced to the scene, where one of them fired a 9mm handgun about 10 times at the van before speeding away.

About an hour later, a six-minute long pocket-dialled voicemail was left on Stephenson's phone from one of his gang in which one man could be heard telling another "you will need an alibi", the court heard.

Police found multiple messages between the gang and records of calls implicating their involvement in the attacks, their preparation and aftermath, the court heard.

The burnt shell of the second Shogun was found a week later near Coxhoe.

Det Supt Andy Reynolds said analysis of a bullet found lodged in a wall at the tanning salon proved it must have come from the Shogun, while the incident was also caught on CCTV camera.

More than 400 hours of CCTV was examined and a number of dawn raids were carried out, with heroin valued at £44,000 and cocaine with a street value of £31,000 discovered.

Investigations led detectives to nearby Mount Pleasant Farm, owned by Paul Frain, where a bullet casing was found on the back of a low-loader truck.

Forensic officers determined it had been fired by the same gun used in the Fifth Street shooting, although the gun itself was never found.

Mr Reynolds said police had "weeded out" an "entire organised crime group" which had been blighting communities on the Durham coast.

The accused men initially denied being involved but admitted their guilt at court.

The gang and their sentences were:

All with the exception of Oliver admitted conspiracy to cause grievous bodily harm with intent and possession of a prohibited firearm.

All apart from Leigh and Frain admitted criminal damage with intent to endanger life.

Stephenson, Ellison, Miller, Oliver and Griffin all admitted arson, with the latter also pleading guilty to possession of heroin and cocaine with intent to supply and cultivation of 25 cannabis plants worth up to £21,000 at his home.

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